www.iFourWinns.com

Hey everyone. Was out on my 2014 H190 with the Volvo 5.7L 225 SX drive V8 today, the launch was crazy busy when getting off the water, and this launch area is SUPER SHALLOW. Anyways, probably ran the motor for 20 minutes or so, with the trim almost all the way up, (prop barely still in the water) because of the shallow water. Only put the motor into gear (forward and reverse, idle RPM's) to maneuver around the staging area while waiting for an open dock slot.

Anyways, got off the water, pulled to the cleaning area and pulled the drain plug - here is where I noticed warmish water (like it had been running through the engine???) dripping onto my hand while I was removing the drain plug. It ran out of somewhere for the 10-20 seconds that it took me to remove the drain plug, then I continued my normal post boating routine.

Anyways, I did not notice the engine over temp while waiting in the queue, nor did I notice any problems coming into the launch, so I am just thinking this may have happened for some reason idling with the trim up so far??? No idea if I have caused any damage. I did inspect the drive unit with a flashlight, did not see anything that looked any different than it has since I purchased the boat.

Maybe I am worrying for no reason, and this is normal behavior when running with the drive up, or ???

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Probably will be going out again this coming weekend, want to make sure I've got the bases covered so to speak.

Thanks,
Steve

2014 FW H190
VP 225C V8

My first thought/concern would be the drive bellows...running it with drive all way up causes the shaft,joint to contact the bellows which isn't good. If you motored very long you could have worn hole in the bellows(rubber boot)that protects the shaft from water exposure.

I don't think that water would be hot/warm though, but I would check bellows regardless....and....check your interior hoses for leaks.

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http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o71 ... wqm355.jpg


08' H210SS
VP 5.7Gi

Thanks.

If any of the bellows were leaking, would there be water accumulating in the bilge/engine compartment while floating around/boating?

I did visibly look at the bellows, at least what I could see and nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

Steve

What does Volvo say about how high you can raise the drive while running at idle? With the SX series it's the same as my OMC Cobra in that you can run it at idle only all the way up. You have the newer drive so see what they say about that. I will raise it most of the way but not all the way when putting it on/off the trailer. You can't use the trim gauge really to tell how high it is but what I did was time how long it takes to get from full up to full down. Mine takes about 12 sec, so when I launch put it most of the way down (8 sec) so the Cobra impeller primes, start up and then trim up 2sec (8-2=6, 6 sec = half way down).
So for mine 12 sec=full down, 8 = 3/4 down 6 = 1/4 down.

The warm water is probably just exhaust water from the idle reliefs in the bottom of the transom mount, no worries.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

The warm water was coming from your exhaust bellows, if you look at them with drive up, you may notice slits in the bellows, they are designed that way. But to second TX, running with the drive in all the way up position isn't good for the U Joints or bellows, it puts them in an "unnatural position" and "could" cause damage. Put your drive about halfway down for putting around. If it is too shallow for that, I would consider using a paddle...

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1996 205 Sundowner DLX
5.0FL Volvo SX Cobra
Tow Veh: 2012 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X

Thank you for the other responses.

I have consulted the VP owners manual for my engine, here is what it says:
"You may tilt the drive unit to reduce the draft for shallow water running as long as you do not exceed 1000 RPM."

There are warnings as well stated in the manual that say damage can occur if run at higher than 1000 RPM.

I am pretty confident I did not exceed this RPM, I was only putting it into gear to maintain control of the boat when necessary to stay in line for the boat launch.

Glad to hear that the warm water I felt may be something designed into the exhaust bellow.

I'll be dropping it in the water (AT A DIFFERENT LAKE!!!) this week some night after work to retest, and to ease my mind.

We have been told the launch at this particular lake was shallow, but man, I had no idea it was even possible to be this shallow, especially at a spot on the lake where boat traffic is heavy (launching and retrieving). Probably won't be visiting this lake again any time soon, too stressful. There were several other boats in the area at the same time, some smaller, some larger, so I am confident that it is possible to safely launch and retrieve from here, but my GF and I dont need the additional stress, we just want to enjoy a couple drinks on the water

Thanks again.
Steve

Another question, not looking at the drive right now, but from what I recall there is a larger diameter bellow, and a smaller diameter one.

One is mounted higher up on the transom/drive than the other.

Which one is the u-joint bellow and which one is the exhaust bellow?

Thanks!

I should really buy a service manual to learn more about the drive, first boat

The top one is the U-joint Bellows (Larger diameter)
The bottom one is the Exhaust Bellows (smaller diameter)

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"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

Certainly not trying to high-jack your thread, but I have the 2013 H190 with the 4.3.......I've had the same concerns while having the drive up for similar reasons. I guess I shouldn't be too hesitant to ask questions here. Thank you all for helping me set that concern to rest.

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2013 H190
4.3 Volvo Penta

The other thing that will help you is to install an accurate depth finder; there is also an adjustment that can be made to allow for the fact that the transducer (transom mount) is not mounted at the waterline but usually several inches below it. So if it says 2.5 feet it might really be closer to 3" if measured from the surface to the bottom. The Garmin 441S I installed last year reads much more accurately and holds bottom much better (never loses bottom) that the old Humminbird the boat came with.
I'd advise any new boater to practice razing and lowering the drive on land with a person watching; and try to get a sense how long it takes to go from full down to 3/4, 1/2, 1/4...that way you can raise it as much as needed but not so far as a the way up. Most boats of this type draw 3' fully down; it would be good to know how much it draws at 1/2 down and 1/4 down....

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Steve, the warm water is draining out of the engine exhaust system. There is an exhaust outlet on the bottom of the transom shield where the anode is mounted. After the engine is shut down the engine temp actually rises for 10 to 20 minutes because the cooling water is not circulating any more. This temp increase (expansion) and the possibility of some water draining back out of the cooling system are very normal.

You mentioned idling in very shallow water for 20 minutes. It is possible to pick up sand, mud, or other sediment when operating in very shallow water. This could cause wear and damage to the engine's raw water pump. Watch your water temp to make sure it is relatively normal. You should be fine, though. Hope this helps.

Gary

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Surface Interval: A scuba diving term for that time between dives to relax and prepare for life's next great adventure.

Current boat: '02 FW 268 Vista
Previous boat: '95 FW 190 Horizon

With all due respect I would not rely on a depth gauge to ease one's mind of not running aground, especially if it's already know you are so shallow that you have to tilt up. But, I do agree that an accurate gauge that doesn't loose it's signal is nice to have, especially if you've run to the wrong side of a marker without realizing.